Round the fields

Wake at seven to another cool cloudy day, make myself a drink of hot water and cider vinegar, as it is supposed to help with arthritis. In addition I restart my old Tai Chi warm up routine, first thing, before breakfast, in the garden. At first I am moving far too quickly and not synchronising my breathing to the movements, but gradually, my body remembers and reminds me what to do. In many ways it is similar in principle to my Zen approach to Swimming and running. I greatly miss running along country trails and I would love to be able to doi it again if my arthritis improves. Even a few miles, just a couple of times a week, would be good. After breakfast I make a pasta sauce, using the other half of the lamb mince I have left over from Sunday's Kofte, it won't keep until tomorrow otherwise and then set it to cook in the slow cooker. Later, around ten, Norman and I walk down Carr Lane, through "Almost Straight Wood", and then around the fields. We get back just before noon, I give him a few biscuits and fresh water and then drive to the swimming pool. It is quiet in the pool again so I repeat yesterday's programme, fitting the butterfly into the 200m individual medley repeats is less tiring than swimming 8 x 50m butterfly repeats, and I seem to be flowing more effortlessly than before, perhaps the Tai Chi is helping my swimming. Afterwards, I have another of Danny's scones and a pot of tea in the cafe, before making my way to the library to return my Philip Roth novel. I find yet another Patrick Gale, "The Facts Of Life", and Cormack McCarthy's "No Country For Old Men" and although I have seen the film and therefore know the plot, I love this authors descriptive prose and the way he describes the American South West. While I am in town, I buy a new inner tube for my bike and some polyfiller and rawl plugs from Boyes'. The curtain rod, above the door in the hall, has needed re-fixing for several weeks now and it is time it was done. Before driving home, I restock on salad, fruit, pitta bread and buy more smoked salmon and two pairs of kippers for breakfast. When I get in, Normy is sat waiting for his dinner and as I am starving after my swim, I boil some water and make spaghetti, which I serve with the lamb sauce and a generous helping of Parmesan cheese. If Norman likes anything more than kippers or a full English breakfast, it is probably spaghetti Bolognaise and although this is spaghetti d'agnelo, it achieves much the same level of satisfaction with him. After dinner, I spend a while catching up on my outstanding blogs/journals and then read a chapter of my book before bed time.